[Dovecot] dovecot/log not running

Mark Hinch mhinch at hinchfamily.com
Wed Sep 12 14:13:55 EEST 2012


Answers for both my helpers - Timo and Ben (Thanks!):

Timo: Problem #1 - no dovecot/login
doveconf -n output:
==============
# 2.1.7: /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
# OS: Linux 2.6.30-2-686 i686 Debian wheezy/sid
mail_access_groups = mail
mail_location = mbox:~/mail:INBOX=/var/mail/%n
mail_privileged_group = mail
namespace inbox {
   inbox = yes
   location =
   prefix =
}
passdb {
   driver = pam
}
plugin {
   mail_log_events = delete undelete expunge copy mailbox_delete 
mailbox_rename
   mail_log_fields = uid box msgid size
}
protocols = " imap"
ssl_cert = </etc/ssl/certs/dovecot.pem
ssl_key = </etc/ssl/private/dovecot.pem
userdb {
   driver = passwd
}
============================
I don't see anything interesting there -- hopefully you do!
BTW - dovecot/log is still not running. However, to deepen the mystery,
yesterday I suddenly found it to be running and to be dumping stuff into 
my log file.
Closer examination using "ps" showed that while dovecot was restarted 
(via a cronjob
to work around problem #2)) at 01:30 (i.e., at around 1am), dovecot/log 
started running at 17:12 (i.e., around 5pm).
This is confirmed in the log files (i.e., no log output until 5pm). The 
dovecot logs are:
=======================
Sep 10 01:30:02 hinch4 dovecot: master: Dovecot v2.1.7 starting up (core 
dumps disabled)
Sep 10 01:30:42 hinch4 dovecot: master: Error: service(anvil): Initial 
status notification not received in 30 seconds, killing the p
rocess
Sep 10 01:30:42 hinch4 dovecot: master: Error: service(log): Initial 
status notification not received in 30 seconds, killing the pro
cess
Sep 10 01:30:42 hinch4 dovecot: master: Error: service(ssl-params): 
Initial status notification not received in 30 seconds, killing
the process
Sep 10 01:30:42 hinch4 dovecot: master: Error: service(log): child 3505 
killed with signal 9
Sep 10 08:14:11 hinch4 dovecot: master: Error: service(imap-login): 
Initial status notification not received in 30 seconds, killing
the process
Sep 10 17:12:44 hinch4 dovecot: log: Error: Received master input for 
invalid service_fd 24: 24 3504 FATAL service(anvil): child 350
4 killed with signal 9
Sep 10 17:12:44 hinch4 dovecot: log: Error: Received master input for 
invalid service_fd 24: 24 3504 BYE
Sep 10 17:12:44 hinch4 dovecot: master: Error: service(log): child 23736 
killed with signal 11 (core dumps disabled)
Sep 10 17:12:44 hinch4 dovecot: imap(mhinch): Debug: Effective uid=1002, 
gid=1002, home=/home/mhinch
Sep 10 17:12:44 hinch4 dovecot: imap(mhinch): Debug: Namespace inbox: 
type=private, prefix=, sep=, inbox=yes, hidden=no, list=yes, s
ubscriptions=yes location=mbox:~/mail:INBOX=/var/mail/mhinch
Sep 10 17:12:44 hinch4 dovecot: imap(mhinch): Debug: fs: 
root=/home/mhinch/mail, index=, control=, inbox=/var/mail/mhinch, alt=
========================
many more logging messages deleted. This continued until I restarted 
dovecot. Never again
have I seen a log message ...


Bob: Problem #2 - many doncecot/imap-login processes:
The Thunderbird setting for "connection to cache" is 5. The setting of 
100 is on
the server side as default_process_limit.
However, the 5 is interesting. That seems to say that tbird has forgotten
about all but 5 (max). I'll try to catch lsof -i output on these rogue 
processes
to see what IP state they are in. Any other ideas about where to go?

Thanks!

-Mark




On 9/11/2012 11:23 AM, Timo Sirainen wrote:
> Something's very wrong. I have no idea what. doveconf -n output might help.
>
> On 7.9.2012, at 14.39, Mark Hinch wrote:
>
>> I'm running 2.1.7 as downloaded/installed by Debian (and
>> then appropriately setup for my config, ...). It almost
>> works. I can send/receive email from thunderbird, squirrelmail, ...
>> However there are two anomalies:
>> 1.  dovecot/log is not running. After restarting dovecot (and waiting
>> 30 seconds), I have this in the log files:
>>
>> Sep  6 17:42:16 hinch4 dovecot: master: Dovecot v2.1.7 starting up (core dumps disabled)
>> Sep  6 17:42:56 hinch4 dovecot: master: Error: service(anvil): Initial status notification not received in 30 seconds, killing the process
>> Sep  6 17:42:56 hinch4 dovecot: master: Error: service(log): Initial status notification not received in 30 seconds, killing the process
>> Sep  6 17:42:56 hinch4 dovecot: master: Error: service(ssl-params): Initial status notification not received in 30 seconds, killing the process
>> Sep  6 17:42:56 hinch4 dovecot: master: Error: service(log): child 31286 killed with signal 9
>>
>> After 30 seconds, a "ps -ef | grep dovecot" yields:
>>
>> dovenull  1858 20223  0 18:56 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/imap-login
>> root      1859 20223  0 18:56 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/auth -w
>> mhinch    1860 20223  0 18:56 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/imap
>> root      1862 14520  0 18:56 pts/3    00:00:00 grep dovecot
>> root     20223     1  0 18:54 ?        00:00:00 /usr/sbin/dovecot -c /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
>> dovenull 25144 20223  0 18:55 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/imap-login
>> dovecot  25147 20223  0 18:55 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/anvil
>> root     25148 20223  0 18:55 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/config
>> dovecot  25161 20223  0 18:55 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/auth
>> root     25174 20223  0 18:55 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/ssl-params
>> mhinch   25208 20223  0 18:55 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/imap
>>
>> Seems like everything is there except dovecot/log.  ssl-params and anvil came back (?!?).
>> A  "doveadm log find" dumps this in the log:
>> Sep  6 18:52:24 hinch4 dovecot: doveadm: Debug: This is Dovecot's debug log (1346975543)
>> Sep  6 18:52:24 hinch4 dovecot: doveadm: This is Dovecot's info log (1346975543)
>> Sep  6 18:52:24 hinch4 dovecot: doveadm: Warning: This is Dovecot's warning log (1346975543)
>> Sep  6 18:52:24 hinch4 dovecot: doveadm: Error: This is Dovecot's error log (1346975543)
>> Sep  6 18:52:24 hinch4 dovecot: doveadm: Fatal: This is Dovecot's fatal log (1346975543)
>>
>> However, further debugging that I try to do (see next problem) does not result in ANY
>> further input to the log files, even though I have all known logging turned on. So I *think*
>> that logging is not actually running. If I can get that started, then I'll take a crack at the
>> next problem myself ...
>>
>> 2. However, as long as I have your attention, my next problem is that it
>> seems like dovecot/imap-login hangs(?). After a few hours, I have something like:
>>
>> # ps -ef | grep dovecot
>> dovecot    530 31186  0 18:49 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/auth
>> root     13277 31186  0 17:47 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/config
>> dovenull 13664 31186  0 18:44 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/imap-login
>> root     20207 14520  0 18:54 pts/3    00:00:00 grep dovecot
>> dovenull 27599 31186  0 18:45 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/imap-login
>> dovenull 27601 31186  0 18:45 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/imap-login
>> dovenull 27603 31186  0 18:45 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/imap-login
>> dovenull 27607 31186  0 18:45 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/imap-login
>> root     31186     1  0 17:42 ?        00:00:00 /usr/sbin/dovecot -c /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
>> dovecot  31289 31186  0 17:42 ?        00:00:00 dovecot/anvil
>>
>> with exactly 100 imap-login processes. I'm the only meaningful user
>> on the machine (unless somebody is imap DoS-ing me), so this does not
>> make much sense. Obviously thunderbird is polling the machine and each
>> time is leaving around a imap-log process. As far as I can tell, thunderbird
>> successfully logs in (i.e., I get mail) though I can't be sure whether these
>> are successful logins or not (no logging!). What hangs imap-log processes for hours at a time?
>> After a while of course, dovecot will not start any new imap-login processes
>> so Thunderbird cannot get any more mail until I restart
>> dovecot. Then everything is OK for another 12 hours or so.
>>
>> Ideas on either problem?
>>
>> -Mark
>>





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